You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Presumably if you are stationary at traffic lights etc its okay to use your mobile phone as the engine is not running?
No, obviously not. Why would you think that? 🙄
Rachel
Most cars have stop/start technology now so that might explain it...
Why obviously not? The law says you can use your hand held phone as long as the engine isn't running.
What, like most modern cars with internal combustion engines and stop /start technology you mean?
Also, electric cars should have ringtones, just like mobile phones or ice cream vans, so you can hear the sneaky b**tards coming.
Yes, i suppose stop start does it as well.
I reckon you’ve seen someone and got a bit annoyed, you have haven’t you..
Or you’ve been done..
Why obviously not?
Well, I think it's obvious 🙄
For clarity I don't have either an electric car or a car with stop start - its just an observation I made this morning on the way into work.
No, the same would apply to stop-start technology. There is considerable case law which establishes what “driving” is (not specifically in the context of phone use, but for all offences). If you are in control of the speed or direction of a vehicle you are driving. (You are still driving if you should have had control and then lost control too) temporary interruptions like stopping at lights don’t interfere with that. You “require” to move off immediately when the lights change. Essentially you can’t argue your vehicle is parked and you were no longer driving if it would be a stupid/illegal place to park.
Why obviously not? The law says you can use your hand held phone as long as the engine isn't running.
It doesn’t.
+1 but given the standard of driving and what some people think is acceptable I'm not too surprised that some might think this is OKWell, I think it's obvious
but given the standard of driving and what some people think is acceptable I'm not too surprised that some might think this is OK
Indeed, it probably explains why mobile phone use is still so prevalent.
I did a minibus course last year and the instructor said that the interpretation of the law is that to use a phone legally, the driver must be parked in a legal and safe position and take the key out.
The [url= https://www.gov.uk/using-mobile-phones-when-driving-the-law ]Highway Code[/url] says you must be safely parked (and specifically not stopped at lights) but doesn't mention taking the key out.
Electric or otherwise, there's really no excuse to not using hands free kit (and if electric it's probably got all the technical bells and whistles so will have it integrated into the car anyway).
The key out part is a just a fail safe, it means you’re engine can not be running.
For clarity I don't have either an electric car or a car with stop start - its just an observation I made this morning on the way into work.
Ah! Is this an E-car hate thread?
I did a minibus course last year and the instructor said that the interpretation of the law is that to use a phone legally, the driver must be parked in a legal and safe position and take the key out.
Pretty difficult if you have keyless start. Do I throw the key out of the car before using the phone?
Electric or otherwise, there's really no excuse to not using hands free kit
If your call is essential. The danger is mostly from the conversation not the phone in the hand.
It is concluded that driving behaviour is impaired more during a phone conversation than by having a blood alcohol level at the UK legal limit (80mg / 100ml). (A)
https://trl.co.uk/reports/TRL547
The danger is mostly from the conversation not the phone in the hand
Quite possibly. But the reading and sending of messages takes it to next level of dangerous stupidity.
Pretty difficult if you have keyless start. Do I throw the key out of the car before using the phone?
Presumably if you pressed the big start/stop button you could be considered 'parked'.
Only an idiot would argue that it was acceptable.
Why obviously not?[b] The law says you can use your hand held phone as long as the engine isn't running[/b].
What law says that?
The highway code ( https://www.gov.uk/using-mobile-phones-when-driving-the-law) says
It’s illegal to use your phone [b]while driving[/b] or riding a motorcycle unless you have hands-free access, such as:a bluetooth headset
voice command
a dashboard holderWhen you can use a hand-held phone
You can use a hand-held phone if either of these apply:-you’re safely parked
-you need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop
The CPS ( http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/road-traffic-offences-mobile-phones/) say:
Regulation 110 (1) and (2) prohibits a person from driving, or causing or permitting a person to drive, a motor vehicle on a road if the driver is using a held-hand mobile telephone or a hand-held device. Regulation 110 (3) prohibits a person from using a hand-held mobile telephone or hand-held device while supervising a holder of a provisional license ( learner driver) whilst the learner is driving.Regulation 110 (5) provides that the regulation is not breached where a person makes a call to the emergency services on 999 or 112 in response to a genuine emergency, where it is unsafe or impracticable for him (or the provisional licence holder) to cease driving whilst the call is made.
It is an offence under section 41 D(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to contravene Regulation 110. The penalty imposed will depend upon the type of vehicle driven.
None of that talks about the engine being on or off.
Presumably if you pressed the big start/stop button you could be considered 'parked'.
Depends. If you're parked up then yes. If you just turn the engine off at a red light then no, you're obviously not parked (you're not going to get out of the car and leave it parked there are you?).
(you're not going to get out of the car and leave it parked there are you?)
Have you [i]seen[/i] the standard of parking out there? It wouldn't surprise me...